Former CIA, British Operatives Hacked Donald Trump Fundraiser Elliott Broidy's Emails for Qatar, Lawsuit Claims

Former CIA and British intelligence operatives conducted a "criminal conspiracy" on behalf of Qatar intended to besmirch a former Republican National Committee deputy finance chair and fundraiser for President Donald Trump over his work against the Middle Eastern nation, according to a new court filing Thursday.

The filing, which updated a previous lawsuit in the Central District Court in California, claims Global Risk Advisors's (GRA) top executives, Kevin Chalker and David Mark Powell, engaged in a hacking effort after a brother to the Emir of Qatar, Mohammad bin Hamad Khalifa al Thani, and the head of the $100 billion Qatar Investment Authority, Ahmed al Rumahi, hired them. The GRA executives were hired to "coordinate and implement the hack, and the GRA defendants also personally supervised aspects of the information operation against" Elliott Broidy and his hedge fund, the suit alleges.

Stonington Strategies LLC, a Washington-based public relations and lobbying firm, and its owner, Nick Muzin, were also named in the suit and accused of helping GRA disseminate Broidy's "stolen emails to media organizations." Muzin is a registered lobbyist, while Chalker and Powell are accused of conducting work for Qatar without registering as working for a foreign government in the U.S.

The suit alleges Chalker to be a former CIA cyber operative, and Powell of previously working for British intelligence. Newsweek's message for comment, sent through GRA's website, was not immediately returned. The suit does not explain how Broidy's attorneys believe Chalker or Powell to have previously worked with government intelligence services.

Stonington Strategies also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"We believe the evidence is clear that a nation-state is waging a sophisticated cyber information campaign against me in order to silence me," Broidy said in a statement. "We believe it is also clear that I have been targeted because of my strong political views against Qatar's state-sponsored terrorism and double-dealing, and the fact that I was not shy about expressing my views."

Qatar claimed Broidy had "conspired in the shadows" against it and denied accusations of hacking.

"Mr. Broidy's latest false allegation is yet another desperate attempt to divert attention from his own illegal activities. His claims are completely fabricated and without merit," Jassim Al Thani, media attaché for Qatar in Washington D.C., said in a statement to Newsweek. "He attempts to portray Qatar as the aggressor when he knows full well Qatar does not operate in this manner. The facts show it was Mr. Broidy who conspired in the shadows against Qatar, not the other way around. "

Broidy previously filed suit against Qatar in March, claiming the country was behind a massive hack and release of his personal and business emails and records that have led to numerous damning stories about his work in the defense industry and fund-raising for Republicans across the country.

Part of Broidy's work, along with that of his business partner George Nader, involved lobbying the Trump administration for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, both staunch enemies of Qatar, which they have accused of harboring and funding terrorist activities.

Nader is presently a cooperating witness for the special counsel's investigation of Russia's interference in the 2016 election; he and Broidy have been accused of using their influence in the Trump administration to prop up the Saudis and Emiratis in an effort to earn hundreds of millions of dollars in defense and intelligence contracts.

Newsweek showed in March that Broidy had supported the wife of a high-ranking congressman in her successful bid for an appointment in the State Department.